Brazil undergoes an epidemiological transition, with the increase in deaths due to chronic noncommunicable diseases, in relation to infectious diseases. For the years 2018 and 2019, 600 thousand new cases of cancer are estimated for each year in Brazil, which, in addition to the effect on public health, has an impact on the financing of the system. In this context, it is relevant to strengthen the integrated actions to control this disease through the support to projects used by a public institution of reference in research and treatment of this disease and, consequently, the improvement of its practices of project management in order to performance. In this purpose, the objective of this study is to elaborate proposals to improve the project management practices for the organization. We conducted face-to-face interviews with 55 respondents of the organization, in order to highlight which of the conditions, which favor the good performance of projects, are weakened in the organization, as well as the understanding of the criteria of success evaluation in projects adopted by the organization in comparison, in the light of the academic literature. Regarding the theoretical aspect, 19 criteria were identified for evaluating performance in projects and 29 conditions that favor the success of projects. Regarding the empirical findings, the important difference in the evaluation of health professionals for the other areas is highlighted, as well as differences in the segmentation by length of service and by hierarchical position. The development of studies of the factors relevant to project management success in a reference health organization in Brazil, with practices that can be applied in other national or international entities. An improvement plan was developed in the project management practices in the organization.